Warning: Sexual content ahead!

Chapter 25: Advanced Spells

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Hermione sat with Harry and Ginny at the Three Broomsticks, telling them a bit about her coffee date with Pansy as Draco walked in, spotting them across the restaurant and walking over. Hermione heard Ginny draw in a deep breath next to her and she stood, leaning up to kiss Draco hello. As they sat, she noticed a few eyes in the restaurant swivel towards them in a double take, but she doubted many of these people knew exactly... who they all... were. Well maybe that wasn't true as the Malfoys were well known in the wizarding world and Harry was… well, Harry Potter. She pretended not to notice however and sat with a smile as Harry and Ginny greeted Draco.

"What have you been up to in Hogsmeade today?" Harry asked Draco as they settled in.

"Madam Malkins opened up a Hogsmeade location recently and they've brought in some special features to the store for their opening weekend so I wanted to stop in for a new set of dress robes," Draco said as though it was a very normal weekend activity, "Did you come in just for lunch?"

Harry nodded, "Going to walk around after and enjoy the village, but we'd probably just be sitting around the room grading papers if we weren't here."

"Well I'm glad you both came out," Hermione said, moving her hand onto Draco's knee casually.

"So Weasley, I saw you out on the pitch last night flying around," Draco said, trying to break into normal conversation, "Why don't you ever join us when we're all out playing?"

"It's just Ginny," she replied coolly, and Draco nodded in acknowledgment with a side glance at Hermione, who squeezed his knee reassuringly, "And I prefer to fly around on my own, good stress relief at the end of the day. Besides, Harry and I get a little too competitive when we play together."

He could tell she was uncomfortable and doing her best to push through it.

"She's not wrong," Harry grinned at Draco, trying to alleviate the tension, "She used to join us sometimes, over the last few years, but we were always seekers against each other and the last game she joined, maybe a year ago?" he looked over at her questioningly as she huffed before he continued, "She stomped off the pitch yelling at me after that game and then decided we were better off playing separately."

Ginny narrowed her eyes feistily, "You cheated that game."

"I did not cheat."

"You distracted me with a kiss and then dove past me for the snitch. It was dirty."

"I didn't even see the snitch until after I'd kissed you, it just happened to be behind you, that's not my fault."

"You really want to get into this again right now?"

"No, er, no I don't," Harry gave her a sheepish smile and Draco laughed.

"Well why don't you come play Chaser? You used to play that position for Gryffindor, didn't you?"

Ginny sighed, "Yeah, I guess I could. I assume you're the seeker against him now, aren't you?"

"I have been," Draco shrugged, "But I'm a fair enough keeper, too, if you wanted to play seeker."

"I don't," Ginny glared sarcastically at Harry again and he wrapped his arm around her and planted an overly dramatic kiss on her cheek as her glare softened but she didn't give in to the laugh that was behind her eyes.

"I'm guessing you had a whole quidditch pitch at your house growing up?" Ginny turned back to Draco, looking mildly more relaxed after Harry's antics.

"I did. I played a lot as a kid."

"Funny, I don't remember you being that good at Hogwarts. I don't think you ever beat Harry to the snitch."

"I still made the team in my second year," he said indignantly.

"Oh that's right, coincidentally the same year your father donated new brooms to the team?" Ginny asked innocently.

Draco looked over at Hermione with his eyebrows raised and then back at Ginny, who's lips finally broke into a smile.

"I'm sorry, I had to," she said, "I grew up with Fred and George and they always said the best way to make new friends was to make sure someone could handle your sense of humor."

Draco looked over at Hermione again, speechless, and she laughed apologetically, "To be fair I did say something similar to you back in second year as well."

"Yes, yes, I remember," he scoffed, "Well I can handle it as long as I know it's friendly fire," Draco said to Ginny, "I was about ready for you to tear me down verbally."

"I could if I wanted to," Ginny told him wryly, "But you've passed the test for now."

"Well thanks."

Madam Rosmerta came around for their orders and Harry pivoted the conversation to ask about their trip to Paris. Ginny settled into the conversation with the rest of them, looking impressed with Draco's thoughtful planning of their Valentine's weekend and inquiring further on their visit to the art museum. They'd finished lunch and Harry and Ginny had gone on their way to Honeydukes while Hermione and Draco headed back to the castle.

On their walk back, Hermione finally had the time to bring up the conversation about his time after Hogwarts.

"I had something I've been meaning to ask you," Hermione said casually as they left the cobblestone streets of the village, glad to have the opportunity to talk after a busy week of classes and planning, "McGonagall stopped into my classroom after hearing we were dating and she told me something interesting."

Draco looked over at her, eyebrows raised in interest, "Oh yeah, what's that?"

"Well apparently, before taking a position as a professor, someone was a published research scholar," her lip curled up as she met his gaze.

"Ah," he nodded with a sigh, his gaze moving back to their path as he took a moment to consider how to follow up her revelation. He didn't know why he'd never told her about his studies before returning to Hogwarts, of anyone, she'd be the most interested in his research, "Yes. Yes I should have told you about all of that."

"Why didn't you?" she asked, "I was very impressed by it when McGonagall told me. Was it just because you don't like talking about the years after the war?"

"That's a part of it, yes, but not the whole reason. I think I just felt like talking about my accomplishments would come off a bit disrespectful. It was a time where everyone was trying to put their lives back together from something terrible that I was a part of, and I'm sitting around the manor in my makeshift potions lab researching with a world renowned potions master. It was almost like I got to pretend the whole thing didn't happen, hiding away in the manor distracting myself with research, focusing on things like getting my work published."

"We all spent those years trying to move on. That was your way of pushing forward and rebuilding your life," Hermione squeezed his hand a little tighter, "I'd love to hear more about what you were working on and, obviously, I'd really like to read your thesis."

Draco nodded, "I can request a copy of one of the journals by owl. I wasn't trying to hide anything from you, it's just always felt like I didn't deserve those quiet years I spent after the war studying potions and pushing away the outside world. I should have been doing something to take responsibility for my part in it all. Besides, I always just assumed the right moment would come up in conversation where telling you about it would just happen naturally."

"Or I'd pry it out of you after McGonagall tattled on you," Hermione grinned at him, "It was a great thing you were doing for the wizarding world. Studying potions, contributing to the art of healing. You may have been trying to avoid the world and pass the time, but it was at the benefit of society. You weren't just sitting in the Manor playing video games or something."

"Playing what?" Draco furrowed his eyebrows, "What's a video game?"

"Oh, sorry, never mind, not a good analogy," she laughed, "You weren't hiding at the manor riding around on your broom."

"No, I wasn't," he chuckled, "I didn't have much of an interest in anything besides drowning in my research. I got out to fly when I needed to think on something I'd read, or logic my way through when a theory wasn't panning out."

"It makes a lot more sense now why McGonagall and Slughorn wanted to hire you."

"I didn't seem like the ideal candidate, did I?"

"It was more that none of us had heard much of anything about you in years and all of a sudden the Headmistress was deeming you qualified to teach at Hogwarts. I was curious what was behind their decision."

"It was the fact that I'd been working with them directly and indirectly for the last five years," he said, "I have a lot of appreciation for McGonagall for giving me the chance to finish school and then set me up afterwards with Dominic, the potions master I worked with. She certainly seemed hesitant to extend the offer to finish my classes at the manor at first, I'm not entirely sure why she did, to be honest, I don't think I deserved that chance. But I did everything I could to prove to her over that time that I cared about making changes and growing, and she softened towards me eventually. And then she offered me the opportunity to come back here and that offer has changed my whole life," he turned to her with a meaningful look, "She didn't have to do any of it. I feel incredibly indebted to her for the chance she took on me."

"She said she saw the change in you and was excited for others to be able to see it to," Hermione said with a soft smile that he did his best to return.

O-o-o-o-o-o-o

They had returned to the dungeons, picking out a book each from Draco's bookshelf, before burrowing into the couch for a quiet afternoon. Hermione leaned back against his chest with her book against her knees as Draco draped one arm over her, rubbing his fingers softly over her shoulder as he levitated his book off to the side.

That evening after dinner they'd finally sat down to start discussing what spell they would work with the students on for the month of March.

"So I thought of a couple good ones that would take a few meetings for the group to perfect," Draco said as they sat down at the small table in his kitchen with a tray of tea.

"I thought of one as well," Hermione said excitedly, "You go first."

"Alright, I was thinking of maybe the Disillusionment charm? It's not exactly a dueling spell, but it could be, and it's definitely the right level of difficulty," steam rose from the first cup as he tipped the teapot forward, "A little less difficult, though still up there, and more in line with dueling, there's the Ebublio jinx to teach them how to trap their opponent in a bubble. It's fun, it's more difficult than what we usually do and it's practical," after filling their cups he set the teapot back and flicked his wand to summon the sugar from the counter, "And then there's the slowing charm: Arresto Momentum—more powerful than Impedimenta and more difficult than Ebublio, though not as fun."

"Those are all great options. I like the Disillusionment charm the best out of the three. A little less directly dueling related, but incredibly useful for a real situation and definitely the most difficult of the options. Something that would be exciting for them to take from the meetings."

"And what was yours?" he tipped the sugar into his cup as Hermione stirred her spoon around before tapping it on the edge and setting it aside.

"Well, I was thinking Patronus charms would be a great thing to take forward," she said as a wide smile broke across her face, not wanting to overshadow her reaction to his ideas, although she hoped he would be excited about hers, "It's challenging, directly related to protection charms, and a really cool spell to master while at school." She'd thought of it the evening before and had been really looking forward to sharing it with him. Plus, she was so interested in what his patronus was that even if they didn't choose to teach it to the class, though she hoped they would, it felt like something new and intimate to learn about each other. She cupped her tea in her hands and anxiously awaited his response.

"Oh," he said without much emotion, nodding his head slowly.

She felt her smile falter a little, it hadn't been the reaction she'd been hoping for, or that she'd expected, "You don't think that's a good idea?" She asked a little unsurely, "I mean I know it's a little challenging, but I learned it in fifth year and there were younger kids in the group as well who mastered it. Just takes some practice and coaching."

"I just…" he paused, avoiding her eyes and trying to figure out how to explain. He took a sip of his tea to buy time.

"The disillusionment spell would be good as well, as I said before," she backtracked a bit, thinking maybe he did feel she was overshadowing his ideas, though they'd already talked about brainstorming together so she didn't know why he'd be upset, "We can obviously talk about the pros and cons of each, I didn't mean to make it sound like we had to do my idea if that's how it came off."

"It's not that," he sighed and she noticed a frustrated undertone, "Of course that's a great idea and would be something really exciting for the students."

"But you don't sound like you want to do it."

"It's just that… I…" his internal thoughts were racing but he realized there was no reason not to just tell her the truth and get it out there, "It's just that I've never produced a patronus."

"You've never… oh," she said trying to hide her shock, "Have you tried the charm before?"

"Of course I have," he couldn't quite meet her eye, "Potter bloody showed it off during OWLs in fifth year to that examiner so I practiced it all summer because I was jealous," he finally lifted his gaze for a moment, "Underage magic is harder to trace in wizarding homes," he clarified, "But I could never get it to work. I read a lot about it trying to figure out what I was doing wrong but it just never happened."

"How long has it been since you've tried?"

"Years, probably. I finally got sick of failing and I never tried it again."

Hermione thought for a few seconds before responding hesitantly, "Well, did you ever consider that maybe you just weren't thinking of a happy enough memory?"

"I always tried to think of memories with my mother from my childhood because she was the one really showing me affection at that time in my life."

"Maybe the memories were strong enough but your own consciousness wasn't positive enough."

"I'm sure that's probably it," he sighed, "Summer after fifth year is when I was given that task from the Dark Lord and my life spiraled into a dark place for a very long time from there. Either way, I'm not sure I'm qualified to teach or give pointers on patronus charms," he said, "It's not that it's not a great idea, it's just not something I can do."

"Well what if you try one right now. On a whim. Just see if maybe it works now that you're in a different place in your life."

"I'd really rather not."

"What's the harm in trying?"

He gave a frustrated sigh, "Fine," he set down his cup and stood up from the table, closing his eyes for a moment to focus before he pointed his wand into the living room, "Expecto Patronum!" he said in a strong voice. Wisps of blue light shot from his wand, but they fizzled within seconds. He lowered his wand slowly, not sure what he'd been expecting anyway, "I just can't do it."

"Maybe you and I can devote tomorrow to practicing it," Hermione suggested softly, standing as well and wrapping her arms around him from behind, not wanting to push the subject, but feeling like he just needed a chance to calm down and focus and give it a real try before giving up again.

"Or we can just do the Disillusionment charm," Draco said, turning to her, concealing his look of defeat with some kind of defiance.

"Draco," she cocked her head to the side and felt a crooked smile pull at her lips, "I know you don't like not being good at things because I'm very similar, but I think you can do this. It's just getting past whatever's in your head. I really believe that."

"You're correct in assuming I don't like not being good at things," he responded, not acknowledging the rest of her thought.

She grabbed his hand that was stiffly at his side and raised it, interlacing her fingers with his, "You're being stubborn," she said with amusement, "How about we compromise. Practice with me tomorrow. We'll work together on the Patronus charm. If you're still not able to produce one after that, we'll do the Disillusionment charm with the students."

"You're not going to drop this are you?"

"No."

"Fine."

"Good," her smile pulled wider again with a won argument and she leaned up to place a few soft, lingering kisses on his lips as his other hand, wand still clasped in his fist, came up to rest on the small of her back, "You know I've missed you this week," she said between kisses, ready to turn his mood back around and take advantage of sneaking an evening in the same room again. After their first time, she'd told him she was looking forward to exploring the sexual side of their relationship because she'd never really done anything that was… well, anything that was that exciting. He'd pressed her with a prominent smirk about what she would consider exciting and she'd blushingly given him some examples that he'd had no problem promising to help her explore. And now they were finally alone again…

He felt his tension ebbing as her tongue brushed against his. Perhaps this was a ploy of hers to trick him out of being frustrated, but he wasn't entirely upset about it, on the contrary it made him feel that maybe his Slytherin traits were rubbing off on her in a very good way.

"I see what you're doing," he teased as they broke apart again, and her hand slipped underneath the hem of his shirt.

The devious grin on her face was her only response as she pulled his shirt up and he lifted his arms as it came off. He set his wand on the counter behind him as she removed her own shirt and he closed the gap between them, his chest flush against her soft cotton bra.

It had been less than a week since they'd spent the night together, but in the moment it felt like much too long as their hands began roaming; unbuttoning pants, nails running across skin, breath starting to feel heavy against the others' lips. He lifted her into his arms and she wrapped her legs tightly around him as he pressed her back to the wall. It was shockingly cold compared to her heated skin, but her gasp was muffled as his tongue dove back into her mouth. Her fingers wound their way into his hair as they stood there entwined in an easy moment of bliss. He stepped back from the wall, stumbling around a couple of steps to find the entrance to his bedroom before carrying her in, shutting the door a bit hard behind them, and setting her on his bed.

Her eyes never left his as he climbed over her looking hungry. He sucked on her bottom lip softly as a low moan elicited from her throat and he pressed their bodies together again, needing to be closer. Her hands had made their way down the contours of his back and she ran her finger across the line of his pants as his eyes opened to meet hers like molten steel. He pulled back long enough for them to each push their jeans off, kicking them to the floor before he was against her again, his lips at her collarbone. The feeling was intoxicating as goosebumps flooded her arms. She pushed him back and he fell to the side, looking at her questioningly for a moment before her hand connected with his shoulder and pushed him flat on his back on the bed. She threw her legs over him, feeling adrenaline coursing through her; feeling on top of the world.

She leaned down and captured his lips before they parted for her. She felt him unhook her bra, which was discarded before her brain even registered it, and his fingers were running much too lightly across her chest. She pushed her hips against him as she lowered her mouth to his ear, taking it gently between her teeth as she heard a growl escape his lips.

"I want you to take me- really take me- Draco," she whispered innocently, her warm breath causing him to tighten his grip on her waist, which only escalated as her teeth grazed his neck a moment later.

Again, her underwear, along with his, was on the floor faster than she could comprehend and he was flipping her over, lips glued to hers once more. He positioned himself between her legs and kissed her roughly, but in a way that she could tell he was trying to hold back and take things slowly with her. But she didn't want him to. She bit his lip a little harder than her normal gentle nibble as their eyes locked again and he took the hint that she was ready to start exploring and didn't want to be treated like porcelain tonight. And he had promised her that was a request he could comply with. He pressed himself into her warmth as her leg curled around him, inviting him in deeper.

"I love you," the words came out in a lustful whisper before he pulled himself back until he was almost out of her, and pushed forward hard again, filling her completely.

She moaned, clasping onto his back for stability, "I love you," she managed to get out in between breaths as he raised himself onto one hand and she felt his other wrap lightly around her neck as he moved within her. Invigorated, she tilted her chin up further so he had access to more of her skin, stimulated by the fact that she felt completely comfortable in such a situation with Draco Malfoy.

Draco watched as her head tilted back and he felt a chill run down his spine. He brushed his thumb down the side, the vulnerability of her soft skin sending him into overdrive. How he had ever thought of Hermione Granger as a boring bookworm was so far beyond him in this moment as the innocence in her eyes was replaced with a burning desire to experience passion in a way that she never had before. He moved his hand back into her hair as he lowered himself to kiss her fiercely again, his mind wandering into a tantalizing space of thinking about all the ways he'd like to explore with her. He balled her hair tightly in his first, tugging it gently as a sigh grazed his ear before he loosened his grip, pushing himself back up over her, his pace quickening, and their heart rates speeding up in time with the other as encouragement met his ears and begged him forward.

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